The History of Lucha Libre Wrestling

Just to pass the time of day a few weeks ago, I happened across a Dish network that featured Lucha Libre. This is a form of Professional Mexican Wrestling. In some ways' it is a lot like our own WWE in the United States. There are a few differences though. Almost every match is a tag team affair with the Lucha Libre. They don't have to tag in. When one wrestler goes out of the ring, another takes his place. There are times when there are more than two wrestlers in the ring at the same time. There are also times when there are two referees also.

Although my understanding of the Spanish language has a lot to be desired, I was able to follow along the story lines very well just through observation. As with the WWE and TNA in America, Lucha Libre has their bad guys and good guys. You could tell this by the reaction of the fans. Each wrestler is dressed in a costume of some type and almost all of them wear a mask of some type. I decided to look into the history of Lucha Libre and this is what I found.

Lucha Libre means free fight. It dates back to the 1930's. Matches have sparked riots that have shut down large cities. The first to wear a mask was Rodolfo Guzman Huerta. In the early 1940's he became known as El Santo (The Saint). Many of the holds of todays wrestlers were first used by him. He was the Mexican equivalent of John Wayne. He did about 50 movies and became a huge Latin American star. He died of a heart attack in 1984. He had one of the largest funerals in Mexican history. He was buried with his famous silver mask.

A typical wrestler with a mask, will simulate the characteristics of the mask he wears. To wear the mask is to defy your opposition. To lose it is to be forever humbled before your foe. Being unmasked is considered the highest point of tension in a match.